A Long Absence

When I checked Country Captures this afternoon I could hardly believe that so much time had elapsed since my last update.  The cold snowy days of winter melded into the warm days of March followed by a cool dry April.  As May arrived so did the incessant rain with below normal temperatures holding for most of the month.  Just before we entered June the weather became a little drier and temps shot up to where they were above normal on some days.

As the winter wound down the waterfowl migrations again began passing through my area.  This year I focused most of my waterfowl photography on the stretch of Licking Creek that forms two sides of our family farm.  I did venture to Middle Creek once to view the incredible snow goose migration.  There were good numbers of snows there that day but I was disappointed at the low numbers of various ducks that I had grown to expect.  The Meadow Grounds Lake, which in years past was my go to spot for incredible waterfowl photography, still lies empty.  The good news is that the design for the repairs has been finalized with the engineering work currently underway.  No doubt it will be some time before it is a shovel ready project but after being empty for three years it is very encouraging to see progress towards its restoration occurring.

A highlight of this spring was when I was invited to be a part of the Generations Art Show held in McConnellsburg Pa.  This is a neat art show which showcases artist and artisans from Fulton County. The show runs each weekend Friday evening through Sunday afternoon and will conclude on June 12th.  It has been a pleasure meeting and chatting with some of the many visitors.

Below I will share a few photos from the last few months that to date has only been shared with my Facebook friends.  I hope you enjoy and I promise to not be absent again for so long.

Wood Duck male

Hooded Merganser male, calling

A mink pauses to look back 

The sky was full of snow geese during a morning lift-off at Middle Creek

Snow Geese silhouetted against the rising sun, Middle Creek WMA 

The Meadow Grounds Lake sits empty

A Common Merganser hen leads her young through the fast flowing riffles

.A Whitetail Buck sporting his rapidly growing antlers

A pair of bucks pauses for a drink unaware of my presence

A new mother lies contentedly with her baby surrounded by lush pasture 

Thanks for stopping by,